Android turns 10: Google celebrates with history look back

Google introduced first version of the Android operating system 10 years ago with the T-Mobile G1 and it didn’t even had a name for it. The Android 1.0 had features like pull-down notifications, sharing content across apps and multitasking between apps. Google had launched Android Market on the same day as Android 1.0 and it is now called the Google Play.

“On the occasion of Android’s 10th birthday, we’re taking a trip down memory lane to look at the earliest versions of Android, the major improvements of each release and how far we’ve come,” noted Google on its blog.

The big evolution started after the Android 3.0 Honeycomb. Google brought a new Holo design language, along with larger layout and rich animation support. Also, this was the first version of Android which laid out groundwork for more robust and flexible platforms introduced later, like Android TV, Android Auto, Android Things and Wear OS by Google.

Image: Google

Android 4.4 KitKat was probably the most popular Android version around the world, as it brought earlier voice actions of ‘Ok Google’. Soon after Google brought it’s A-game with Material Design in Lollipop. The 5.0 version of Android, the Android Lollipop, introduced an entirely new look and feel to Google’s mobile operating system along with more innovation of course.

Even the evolution of the Google Assistant dates back to Android 1.6 Donut, the second dessert name for Android after Cupcake (1.5). The Google Search voice actions started in Android 2.2 Froyo then Google Now in 4.1 Jelly Bean, ‘OK Google’ in 4.4 KitKat and Now on Tap in 6.0 Marshmallow.

“From the early days of Voice Actions with speech-to-text to an increasingly helpful smartphone with AI at its core, Android has continued to evolve over the past 10 years. And thanks to our open-source platform and the passionate community of users, partners and developers, Android has empowered innovations and given people access to the power of mobile technology,” added blogpost.

Watch Video: How to install Android P Beta on select smartphones

Today Android 9 Pie serves a slice of Digital Wellbeing on to your smartphones. The feature lets you take control of your digital wellbeing with managing a dashboard of time spent by you in various apps.